//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: The Breaking Point // by Windy The Warrior //------------------------------// The world spun violently, throwing the changeling through the air. A bolt of light enveloped him, and suddenly he dissapeared. The new queen watched as her defective subject was evaporated like so many before him. Satisfied with his disposal, she switched off the termination spell, whirling on the next poor creature that had failed her. Within seconds, it was gone, too. She straightened up, heaving a great sigh. Being the queen was amazing; every changeling in the Hive knew her name. Obsidian marveled at her new power; her predecessor, Chrysalis, was a fool to treat these drone imbeciles as equals to her, the mightiest of warlords. Didn't she know how great this felt? And she'd given it up for a notion as old and obsolete as incantations themselves! Obsidian rose and, with a deadly grin, shot another dozen traitors into the sky. Outside of the Termination Chamber, a line of changelings were contemplating their fate. They were all criminals under the queen's law, and had resigned themselves long ago. When Chrysalis the Mother had died in the One-Battle War, the next royal was called to office. Nobody had wanted to make the child leave, and she'd put up a good show. But then she started placing laws, and soon the once glorious empire's workers were being called out for honest mistakes. Silver Lining shuffled his hooves, trying to block out the laughter of Queen Obsidian. He would enter soon, and then... Well, the lucky ones died. The rest were collected and used as bait for unwary passerby. Hunters would let the creature attempt to help, then pounce with a net. They would then bring the prey back to the Hive, where the queen would suck it dry and an agent would assume its form before flying into whatever kingdom it had come from. All the while, the bait would sit in the Badlands, rotting away. He shuddered when he thought about it. Before he could go too in-depth, though, another changeling caught his attention. "Hey," the female said quietly. "So what landed you here? I figured I may as well ask, since we're probably not gonna leave so easily." He frowned. "I lost a set of tools." She smiled knowingly. "The things they're crazy over... Well, I let a support beam fall. Some of us are here because of me. Well, the remainder of us." The light-frilled girl bit her lip. "It hurts, man. But at least it's actually my fault, y'know? Unlike a lot of us." She looked down, rubbing the holes in her legs. Silver cast a glance at the door ahead. There were now just fifteen sets of changelings before they would be terminated. "So what's your name? I'm Silver Lining, by the way." She blinked. "Mirage. And thanks for talking to me. I don't get a lot of that." He nodded a "you're welcome", trying to ignore the lump forming in his throat. They had a few minutes left; may as well use them kindly. He vaguely remembered stories. Stories about before, when he had a job and a home. It wasn't much, but compared to a lot of other spots on the construction site, it was pretty nice. He'd even earned enough to buy a blanket, and his old magic teacher had sent him a book. Ah, weren't those the days... After a moment, Silver remembered something. Magic. Sure, he was no spellweaver, but he could handle a basic flare. Teleportation, for instance. Mirage knew that look. She chuckled under her breath, glad the young worker was thinking for once. He began working on a makeshift escape plan, and it was finished by the time he and Mirage had come to the front of the line. He quickly projected the plan into her mind as he stepped through into the great Termination Chamber. The entire thing was four stories tall, with a domed roof decorated by bright paintings of glory and war. A pedestal was in the center of the cathedral. The walls were covered with mirrors, and he caught his reflection. It was a shock; worker drones, unlike war drones, were varied in shape and color. Plus, they weren't allowed to have mirrors. The sight of his lanky, frail body surprised him, and he had never seen the bright blue frill above his head before. His eyes had an emerald fade, unlike most who had beautiful, dark-faceted eyes. He smiled, picking up a chunk of dislodged tile. He levitated it, hiding it just before the queen appeared in the center. Obsidian, true to her name, had a jet black carapace that, besides her face and air sac holes (Silver still had no idea how they worked, but at least nobody drowned easily), covered her like armor. Her coat itself was a stormy gray that absorbed the light from the entire room. Her eyes glowed electric green, and her long, swampish mane came down to her bone-clad hooves. Her horn glowed red, attacking a worker near the front. With a flash of light, the changeling was disintegrated. A lump formed in Silver's throat as the line of death inched towards him and Mirage. He pushed the fear aside, launching the rock towards Queen Obsidian. She caught it, breaking her concentration long enough for the two to activate a teleportation spell. ♠ Cherry Fizz was walking home from grocery shopping. Her saddlebags were stuffed with odds and ends, and she carried another plastic one in her mouth. This one was supplies for her business, with things like whisks for chocolate and even a rolling pin for the few attempts at pastry she could make. She reminded herself about the long drive from the market and her house, which would take an hour by hoof. She'd been fine with it this morning, but she was bone tired thanks to the crowd. Cherry decided to hail a taxi. She pulled a satchel of bits out of her saddlebags, fishing out seven coins. She hurriedly piled the groceries into the back and sat, tucking her pink legs underneath her. For the first time in days, she relaxed. "Alright, ma'am," said the driver. "Where're you heading this evening?" He smiled over his shoulder. "3053 Clementine's Avenue, please!" Cherry took a deep breath, erasing even more of the tension in her withers. Then a little bit came back when the driver had to take a detour thanks to traffic. She'd come to Gallopham a year or two ago, but it was still surprising that ponies had enough cars to clog streets. For some reason, the detour scared her. There wasn't even a feasible reason. It just scared her. A lot. She watched the world from a frost-dusted window, surveying the streets. Towering brick apartments framed the road, and long alleys appeared every few yards. They were relatively well-lit, though, and Cherry could see restaurants and shops along the sides. The entire place, although a bit old, was tidy and well-decorated. All in all, it looked like a nice neighborhood. So that feeling of dread that picked at her thoughts was all the more mysterious. She narrowed her eyes, scanning the sidewalk. Then she saw it: a flash of light in an alley, like a fire except much, much dimmer. It was an odd golden color, and subtle wisps of smoke floated through the darkness. Cherry hadn't known what she would find, but that was it. "Hey, sweetie? Could you pull over for a minute?" She addressed the driver, but didn't really register his response. He parked the car by the side of the road, and she got out to investigate the light. As soon as she was out of the car, she chastised herself for being so familiar. Staying calm was one thing, and being suspicious was another. Cherry Fizz trotted inconspicuously to the alley, wary of nonexistent eyes watching her every move. She made it to the corner unapproached, but couldn't shake the bad feeling. She rounded the corner and pulled a flashlight from under her trenchcoat. "Who's there?" She called. "Come out where I can see you!" She fluffed her wings, ready to fight or escape if necessary. She'd always been overly dramatic, and usually she was fine with that. It kept her safe and let her help ponies, even if she jumped to conclusions. Besides, she didn't notice much of her own behavior, anyway. A high, strained voice spoke up. "Ah! I'm sorry, miss, but..." It trailed away with a sharp intake of breath, along with an odd click. Cherry walked over to the dark form on the ground, despite her better judgment. The pony was hidden under a blanket. "It's okay, honey. I'm here," she soothed. This had to a foal or something, maybe somepony who had gotten lost and hurt themselves. Then she started pulling the blanket away. First there was a striking blue frill, riddled with holes near the top. After that, the body was black, scratched and bruised. A glinting silver shell lay under a pair of insect-like wings. The hooves were wider at the base than any pony's she knew, but only in perspective with the frail build. Then she reached the head. The sharp frill cut off quickly, giving way to a thin, sharpened horn and pocked ears. The face came to a point, and the mouth was slightly open to reveal impressive canine teeth. The eyes flickered open for a second, and there were no pupils. Instead, a green fade concentrated at the view. She stifled a gasp as the monstrous head snapped up, surveying her with a look she didn't understand. It took her a moment to realize that it was trying to say something. Despite her instincts to run, she bent down and tilted an ear. "What's wrong, dear?" She'd tried to sound kind, but her heart was pounding. Its jaw worked around the words, stuttering the first few times. Then two words broke through: "Help me". And with that, he fainted.